How does Shakespeare use the idea of opposition as a dramatic device in 'Romeo and Juliet'?

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Introduction

How does Shakespeare use the idea of opposition as a dramatic device in 'Romeo and Juliet'? (What are the effects of these techniques?) There is lots of opposition in 'Romeo and Juliet' and this is all used by Shakespeare as a dramatic device to create certain effects. In this essay I am going to explore how Shakespeare uses the idea of opposition as a dramatic device referring to the most important scenes in which a sense of opposition distinctively shows. The oppositions have a marked effect on the play and cause some of the turning points in the play such as the fight scene where Tybalt and Mercutio are killed. There is also a clash of oppositions such as when Romeo tries to love Tybalt in the fight scene in Act 3 scene 1. This shows the oppositions of love and hate coming to a sharp focus. In another sense, the clashing of oppositions also happens as an oxymoron. In my opinion Shakespeare uses the idea of opposition as a dramatic device by contrasting ideas together like love and hate, which is juxtaposition, to create a greater effect and to make the audience question the point of the scene and what the characters are feeling. ...read more.

Middle

is because he is expressing his first encounters of love within the character of Romeo. This is due to the unlikeliness of the character of Romeo that the way in which Shakespeare would write about Romeo in this sort of way is as if he were trying toe express his first encounters of love through Romeo, his first feelings. Another scene in the play that creates opposition as a dramatic device is Act 1 Scene 5. The act starts with a jolly mood with four servants of the Capulet household are getting ready and then soon after Capulet himself says a jolly speech to start the grand party. Romeo then sees Juliet and asks a serving man what her name is but he does not know her name. Romeo then expresses his love and says "I never saw true beauty till this night" this shows that Romeo is extremely in love. Tybalt, however, overhears Romeo and asks for his sword to be brought to him, this shows hatred and anger in contrast to Romeo's love for Juliet. Shakespeare places these two events next to each other because he is trying to show that these two things may contradict each other but in 'Romeo and Juliet' these two things are so close together and alike, Romeo's love for Juliet is surrounded by hatred and anger. ...read more.

Conclusion

Romeo slays Tybalt but feels bad as he has just killed his new wife's cousin "O, I am a fortune's fool" as he also gets banished for doing so. In Elizabethan times it was believed that a man who was completely and utterly in love, as Romeo was, has lost his manliness. But Romeo proves that he may be in love but that doesn't stop him fighting for pride and honour. Shakespeare contradicts the beliefs of the Elizabethan society by making a character so unrealistic that loves and fights at the same time, which also shows that Romeo is immature and naive. In conclusion, Shakespeare uses opposition as a dramatic device by contradicting his ideas to create opposition, for example, saying that Romeo loved Tybalt but within half an hour he wants to fight Tybalt, this creates strong opposition and juxtaposition. He also uses opposition by showing progression in Romeo's love for Juliet. The effects of these oppositions are that the audience get more into the play as there is more opposition therefore more anger, violence and in some cases there is more emotion expressed. The emotion which is often sexual emotion really helps Shakespeare to get the readers attention as in Elizabethan periods the audience is really rowdy and sexually motivated. ?? ?? ?? ?? 1 ...read more.

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